1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope system in which operation switches such as a freeze switch used to instruct display of a still image are designed to function and be handled in the same way are included in an endoscope and image processing apparatus respectively.
2. Description of the Related Art
Endoscopes have been widely adopted in the field of medicine and the fields of industries. FIG. 1 shows an endoscope system 121 known in the prior art. The endoscope system 121 comprises an electronic endoscope 122, a light source apparatus 123 for supplying illumination light to a light guide in the electronic endoscope 122, an image processing apparatus 124 for processing an image signal taken by an imaging means, which is not shown, included in the electronic endoscope 122, and a monitor 125 for displaying a standard video signal processed by and output from the image processing apparatus 124.
The image processing apparatus 124 may be provided with several additional functions, such as the ability to vary the brightness and tone of an image and to freeze an image. These functions are controlled by handling switches 126 formed on the image processing apparatus 124.
FIG. 2 shows another endoscope system 121' that has become popular in recent times. In the endoscope system 121', like the endoscope system 121 shown in FIG. 1, functions installed in the image processing apparatus 124 can be controlled using switches 126 formed on the image processing apparatus 124. The more frequently-used functions, for example, functions of freezing an image and of varying the brightness of an image, can be operated using buttons 127 formed on an operation unit of an electronic endoscope 122.
The switches 126 formed on the image processing apparatus 124 and the buttons 127 formed on the operation unit of the electronic endoscope 121 differ in number and layout, and are therefore different in their respective manner of handling. Users must therefore peruse operation manuals so as to familiarize themselves with the ways of handling them.